The Diplomats open EIWA action on Friday when F&M welcomes Sacred Heart to town for its second home dual competition of the season. The Pioneers enter with a 1-1 record on the year after falling to VMI by a 33-9 score on Jan. 5. The Diplomats sit at 0-2, also falling to the Keydets their last time out at 27-11.

All time, F&M leads Sacred Heart with a 4-2 mark in a series that dates back to 2000. Last season, the Diplomats dominated the Pioneers with a 46-6 victory in Fairfield, Conn., on Dec. 9. F&M registered two pins, a technical fall, a major decision, two decisions and three victories via forfeit for the 40-point rout.

A Look at the Mid-Penn Duals

On Saturday, the Diplomats head across town to Millersville to take part in the Mid-Penn. Duals. This year's competition includes eight teams (Stevens, Shippensburg, York, Shorter, Sacred Heart, Millersville and American International). The tournament features four rounds, with action beginning at 10:00 a.m. and the following rounds continuing immediately after.

Last season, the Diplomats posted a 2-1 record to grab second in a field of seven teams. F&M defeated Gloucester County College (47-6) and Shippensburg (19-16) before falling to York (Pa.) (22-16) in the championship match.

A Look at the Millersville Open

The Diplomats remain in Millersville on Sunday to compete in the "Shorty" Hitchcock Memorial Classic. The event will feature around 300 wrestlers and take place in the Student Memorial Center. The tournament features a double elimination format with no team score being kept.

Alex Henry paced F&M with a third place finish in the 285 bracket of the Cradle Gear Invitational, hosted by Lock Haven, on Sunday, Dec. 29. The Diplomats finished with 18 points, good for an eighth place finish out of 10 competing teams. Michigan State took the team title with 105 points.

On Monday, Dec. 30, Richard Durso rattled off three-straight wins in the consolation bracket at the 51st Ken Kraft Midlands Championships, hosted by Northwestern University, en route to a fourth-place showing at the prestigious tournament. The finish was the highest for a Diplomat wrester in the history of the competition.

At the annual F&M Open on Friday, Jan. 4, multiple Diplomats competed at the home tournament at the Alumni Sport and Fitness Center's Schnader Fieldhouse.

Scott Stevens went 2-2 on the day, including a 13-1 major decision over Bobby O'Neill of Sacred Heart in the second round of the consolation bracket at 133, while Sharron Townsend, competing at 149, also found success by earning a pair of wins in the championship bracket.

F&M head wrestling coach Mike Rogers offers a recap of these events, which can be found here.

Junior 141-pounder Durso sits at No. 10 in the InterMat NCAA Division I Rankings. Mike Nevinger of Cornell (No. 7) is the only EIWA grappler who is ranked higher.

Climbing the Charts

With an impressive 18-2 mark on the season, Durso now has 87 victories for his career, moving him into sole possession for 4th place on F&M's career wins list. The program record belongs to Craig Blackman '81, who accumulated 117 victories.

Winning Records

Seven Diplomats sit with winning records following the halfway point of the 2013-14 season. Durso leads the way with an 18-2 mark that includes a 14-2 record in EIWA competition. Murano follows with a 13-9 record, while Henry also sits at 13-9. Stevens is 11-9 on the year, while Jason Bing is 12-11, Robert Ruiz is 10-9 and Townsend has a 7-6 mark.